AN: Hey Guys and Welcome to the fifth chapter of "Switching Sides."
I want to thank everyone who Favorited, Followed and Reviewed the story so far!
The voting about which two harem members should be added is still up so go and vote because the results so far are very close to each other and each vote matters.
I do want to stress something about this chapter before you jump to possible conclusions but those things will be at the ending AN's to avoid spoiling the chapter before it even begun so check the ending AN's as well :)
Now, without further ado here is the next chapter. Enjoy!
"..." Talking
'...' Thoughts
*...* Actions, i.e., Yawning and Sighing
(...) Flashback and time skips
["..."] Talking through the Sacred Gear
['...'] Talking in the Host mind
[...] Sacred Gear Actions and modes
{..} Sacred Gear Mentions
Le Fay and her team were in the main hall of the Hero Faction waiting for Vali, Cao Cao and someone who apparently is supposed to join their team to arrive.
They have just come back from their mission, and they didn't want anything else than just to go back to their rooms in order to sleep but that plan got shot down the minute they came across Cao Cao who told them about their newest addition and asked them to wait for him and Vali to bring him to the main hall later.
The entire team were exasperated by this decision but decided to comply regardless, and so they spent the last hour in the main hall doing nothing.
"Once Cao Cao and Vali arrive I'm going to teach them a lesson for making me wait, Nyaa," Kuroka said playfully with a devilish smirk as her mind though of every possible teasing that she would give Vali and Cao Cao.
"Please don't Kuroka-sama, I am sure that they have a good reason for why they are late," Le Fay said in her tender voice as she smiled at the Nekoshou.
Le Fay was a very happy, enthusiastic and easy going girl. She was also very polite as she will address everyone, friends or foe with the honorific "sama."
"Nyaya...We'll see Le Fay, but I can't promise you that I'll be able to hold it" Kuroka said while giggling.
Kuroka was a very easy going, playful and simple minded person who always enjoyed teasing peoples a lot. She is a very vulgar woman who uses her incredible beauty and seriousness as a weapon for her teasing.
Le Fay was about to protest when the doors to the main hall opened and Vali, Cao Cao and their new teammate entered the room.
The rest of the team focused on Vali as they missed her a lot during their mission, all except one who gasped in surprise as she stared at the new arrival with her eyes widen in pure shock.
"I-Issei?" Le Fay asked the brunette who was staring at her in astonishment.
"L-Le Fay? What are you doing here? I didn't know you were a part of the Hero Faction" Issei asked in bewilderment after composing himself from the initial shock.
"I-I am..." Le Fay stammered out as her cheeks got red when her mind started to go back to her first meeting with Issei.
Le Fay remembered the meeting with Issei like it was last night. She remembers storming out after arguing with her brother, Arthur, about what part she should play in the upcoming mission.
She wanted to be more helpful to the group, and Arthur who feared for her safety insisted that she stays back while they deal with the enemy who got Le Fay very upset, making her storm out while starting to sob.
She remembers sitting on the bench in the middle of Kyoto while crying when a strange brunette approached her which made her startled thinking that the brunette was hostile but upon sensing his intentions she was very surprised when instead of hostility she found kindness and a sincere desire to help.
'Beautiful...' She remembered Issei muttering silently, making her flabbergasted as her cheeks turned crimson.
'Did you really mean that thought?' She recalled asking in skepticism since no one ever called her beautiful before.
'I did...If I hadn't known otherwise, I would have thought that you were an angel sent from heaven' At this memory, her heart skipped a beat like it did when she first heard Issei saying that.
She was so deep in her reminiscing that she didn't notice the large smile that crept on her face or the stares she received from her teammates who were shocked as they witnessed Le Fay's reaction to Issei who they were sure never met before.
"Le Fay? Are you ok?" Issei gently asked as he looked at the girl who stood petrified in her spot as a large smile appeared on her face.
Upon hearing Issei call out to her Le Fay came back to her senses while flushing before she did something which she never thought she would.
She ran to Issei as fast as she could before she embraced him so hard that they both fell to the ground, making everyone stare in bewilderment at the girl's strange behavior.
Issei was very surprised when Le Fay ran to him at full speed before embracing him while tackling him to the ground.
He didn't think that the blonde even remembered him from that night but apparently she has and she was very excited to see him which made Issei feel something he hasn't felt for some time now. He felt happiness.
He knew that this blonde would never betray his trust like Raynare, Rias, and the girls did back then. She was just too innocent and kind to do that.
Her aura, the same alluring aura that attracted the boy to her had a feeling of pureness, one that even Asia couldn't rival which made the brunette quite surprised but never the less happy.
He returned Le Fay embrace as he laid on the ground on her on top of him while starting to chuckle slightly, making everyone in the room especially Vali and Cao Cao very surprised.
For Le Fay's team it was a surprise since they didn't expect Issei to react that way as they thought that he never meet Le Fay before while for Vali and Cao Cao their bewilderment was because of the fact that ever since Issei joined them he never once laughed, and they were happy to see that he did now.
As they all got over their initial response they all looked at the duo with smiles on their faces before Arthur, Le Fay's bigger brother, interrupted that moment.
*cough cough*
"Sorry for intruding on this lovely moment but may I ask you how exactly do you know my little sister?" Arthur asked the question which was on everyone's mind the minute they saw Le Fay's and Issei reactions to each other.
Upon hearing the question both Le Fay and Issei blushed before they both released each other from their embrace and stood up while sheepishly rubbing the back of their head as they started to recount the events that happened between them.
After Le Fay finished telling the story of how she met Issei she was met with faces of pure bewilderment. Especially from Cao Cao and Vali who looked like their jaws has dropped to the floor.
During Issei's entire time at the Hero Faction never did he mention this story or Le Fay which made them upset as they realized that even after this whole time he still did not trust them completely.
They couldn't deny that the brunette has indeed made progress in his recovery, but to their dismay, the progress has been minor compared to what they expected. Thus deciding to have a talk with the team regarding Issei after the initial meeting is over.
"Wow...I didn't expect my sister to meet you, The Red Dragon Emperor, out of all peoples in the short time she spent in town after our argument" Arthur said in slight disbelief although he wouldn't show it much as he kept his polite and civil composure, a force of habit from his noble family.
Le Fay upon hearing her brother address Issei as the famous Red Dragon Emperor or as she knew him the best, The Oppai Dragon, gasped in astonishment, her eyes widening as well.
"Y-You're the Oppai Dragon?" Le Fay asked, making Issei blush while he rubbed his forehead awkwardly.
["What have I done to deserve this?"] Ddraig asked as he sobbed inside Issei subconscious as he thought how his title as the mighty Dragon of Domination was now tarnished in favor of a title of a breast loving Dragon.
Issei who heard Ddraig sobs started to feel sorry for his partner as he thought about the times he stood by him in his hardest moments such as his heart breaks as he tried his best always to provide Issei with his opinion and solution that he saw fit at the time. He remembered his life as a goofy breast loving person when he was at Rias peerage where he had no worry in the world except for an occasional fight but now, his life as a member of the most infamous terrorist group, the Hero Faction, did not give him the benefit of being goofy as he was, nor he desired to stay like this after what happened to him with the girls in his life and upon realizing this Issei decided that he will restore to both himself and Ddraig the title of the Dragon of Domination who can make Gods perish.
Sure he would still love women very much and will cherish their assets greatly, but instead of boasting about it, he will keep it to himself to not make Ddraig's grieve even greater than it already was.
"Y-Yeah but I am not going to be any more" Issei replied to Le Fay after making his resolve, making both the blonde and the Dragon within him as well as the rest of the occupants of the room shocked.
"Why? I thought you liked being the Oppai Dragon" Le Fay asked as tears started to drop down her cheeks as she learned about Issei decision to stop being the Oppai Dragon she admired dearly.
"I did...In my old life but now, after what happened to me I decided to change" Issei weakly said as sadness could clearly be heard in his voice, making Le Fay curious as to what he meant by saying "What Happened to me" but she decided to delay further questions on it until she had an opportunity to ask the brunette.
"I know that you are probably sad for losing a character that you admired and I am sorry for that but don't worry, no matter what I will not let you be sad" Issei said with a newfound smile and determination as he gazed at Le Fay with eyes that showed his determination never to let the blonde be sad.
Issei was feeling many emotions in what's left of his heart. He felt sorrow, determination and for the first time for quite a while, trust.
He felt sorrow that he left behind the last remains of his old self in favor of his new life but never the less, he did not regret this decision.
Determined always to keep Le Fay happy no matter how he felt as he knew that the girl did not deserve to feel sadness in her life, especially not the same kind of sadness and sorrow he felt. He knew that the girl was special, her aura transmitted how pure and innocent she was, how joyful and thankful for every moment in her life she was and how she cherished her friends and family above everything else and a person like that do not deserve to feel sorrow or heartbreak.
Issei knew that no matter what, he could trust Le Fay, but as his mind told him to trust her, his heart told him a whole different story as it still struggled to mend the broken pieces that were made by Raynare and trampled by Rias and the girls until there were only small shards.
For now, the brunette decided that he will do his best to try and trust Le Fay while also keeping his promise never to make her sad regardless of whatever he trusted her or not.
But one thing he knew, no matter how long it will take, his heart will not be able to mend it's broken pieces alone.
"Issei have you met the rest of the team yet?" Vali's question made Issei snap back to reality as he quickly averted his gaze to the silver haired girl who had a small smile and a blush on her face as she looked at the dazed brunette.
"N-No" Issei awkwardly replied as he realized that he was caught dozing off before he looked at his new team again and upon landing his gaze on a raven haired girl something tugged him in the edge of his mind that this girl was familiar to him from somewhere.
"Wait...This girl looks kind of familiar to me" Issei said as he pointed at Kuroka who cocked an eyebrow in surprise from being pointed out by the brunette before she quickly composed herself back.
"I would have remembered it if I knew someone as handsome as you are Nyaa," Kuroka playfully said as she scratched the air like a cat, making Issei flush for what seemed like the tenth time in the past hour.
After Issei had got over his blush, he stared at the raven haired girl intently as he searched for clues about where he might have met her before until he noticed a detail that made him instantly remember who she was.
"Wait a minute! You are Kuroka, Koneko's sister!" Issei exclaimed in victory as he figured out who the girl was who tensed up at the mention of her little sister.
"You're that pervert who was in the Gremory peerage along with my Shirone right? Can you please tell me how is she doing?" Kuroka asked while dropping her playful attitude in favor of asking for her sister's well-being as she held Issei by his shoulders while looking straight into his eyes.
Koneko or rather Shirone was a very sensitive matter for Kuroka as she always felt bad for how she left her little sister and how her sister hated her after she killed the King of her peerage in order to save both of their lives. She knew that no one but herself knew the real motives of killing her King which made the Devils job of framing her as a ruthless stray an easy task and thus making her little sister hate her which broke her heart as she knew that her little sister wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. But Kuroka didn't give up to her heartbreak as she always tried to stay cheery and happy while she teased her friends, waiting for the chance to finally repair her relationship with her little sister to come.
Issei felt bad as he saw the sadness and worry for Koneko in Kuroka's eyes.
He learned about what happened between the two Nekoshou and their history when he spoke with Koneko after their first encounter with her during the young Devil gathering a few months ago.
He hated Kuroka for what she did to her little sister but upon seeing the worry Kuroka expressed about her sister well-being in their encounters a part of him began to believe that maybe Kuroka was not a ruthless stray Devil who killed her King for no reason, maybe she had a motive that no one knew about?
The longer he pondered about it the longer the part that believed it grew as his hate for the black Nekoshou started to fade away and instead replaced by feelings of pity for the girl's unfortunate life.
"Last time I saw her she was doing fine...But that was more than a week ago" Issei told Kuroka in a weaken voice, making the Nekoshou form a huge smile on her face before she kissed Issei in happiness and gratitude as Issei told her that her sister was doing good.
Vali and Le Fay frowned as they saw Kuroka abrupt display of affection, both blushing as they continued to stare at the duo while intense jealousy rose within them, hoping that it would be them instead of Kuroka.
They heard what Kuroka and Issei spoke about and they could understand the bliss Kuroka was in after learning about her sister and why she kissed Issei but still, they couldn't shake the feeling of jealousy.
Upon breaking the kiss between them quickly after it was made by a very surprised Issei who was happy about the sudden affection Kuroka showed him. But while he was happy his mind and heart were another cases as his heart reminded him of how broken it was while his mind reminded him why and how. Making the brunette drop his internal happiness as he returned back to his depression.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you, I was just so grateful that you told me about my sister" Kuroka said in sadness as she apologized to the brunette.
"Why exactly are you apologizing? You did nothing wrong" Issei reassured her as he felt bad after hearing the sadness in Kuroka's voice while being oblivious to the frown he had on his face that made Kuroka recoil as she thought that she did something wrong.
"Y-You looked like you were hurting...So were you?" Kuroka asked him, making him tense up from the question he didn't want to answer.
"I...Rather not talk about it..." Issei said before he turned around and went to Cao Cao.
"Can I leave now? I want to be alone" Issei said weakly as he looked at Cao Cao who grimaced upon seeing the sadness in Issei's eyes.
"Sure kid..." Cao Cao said which made Issei start walking towards the door right away, not bothering to say goodbye to Le Fay and Vali who were engaged in a talk with Kuroka, all looking like they enjoyed themselves.
As the doors for the main hall closed with a loud thud everyone looked around to see who entered the room or in their case left it.
"Issei?" Vali asked in surprise as she noticed the absence of her beloved rival, Le Fay and Kuroka matching her surprise upon noticing his absence as well.
"He left to be alone..." Cao Cao said still with his grimaced expression which made Vali to frown as she knew that this did not mean anything good.
"Is Issei ok?" Le Fay who was not aware of Issei current state of mind and emotions asked in worry while her eyes started to glimmer, indicating that tears threaten to burst out of her eyes any moment now.
"He is far from ok..." Vali said sadly, making everyone but Cao Cao, Bikou and Arthur who remained awfully quiet during this meeting as they did not match the enthusiasm the girls felt, resolving into getting to know Issei in a more manly way like sparring.
"W-What do you mean? What happened to him?" Le Fay asked as the tears she was holding started to show themselves.
"I don't know exactly what happened but when me and Cao Cao went to recruit him he just looked so broken... He was not the Issei I knew and battled, he was a shell of himself as he did not even ponder about Cao Cao's invitation to join us, he just accepted it immediately while agreeing with what Cao Cao told him instead of refuting it like he would usually do"
Kuroka and Le Fay did not say anything due to being baffled upon hearing about Issei's extremely unusual behavior.
They both grimaced upon theorizing what could have possibly make the happy, kind, carefree and perverted brunette to behave like a shell of himself.
Both remembering the interactions they had with Issei such as his meeting with Le Fay and the moment he and Kuroka shared just a few minutes ago as well as their previous interactions like in the young Devil gathering where the Nekoshou witnessed Issei's determination and kindness to his friends as he did everything he could in order to protect Koneko.
Both pondered about it for a while still with their grimaced face before it was replaced by a hardened face.
"We don't know what happened to Issei and we cannot bear watching him like this so we will do our best to try and heal him!" Both Kuroka and Le Fay said, voicing the conviction they reached which made Vali and Cao Cao to have a sincere smile on their faces.
"Very well then. The three of us should do our very best to restore Issei back to how he was before" Vali said as she and the girls raised their hands to the air, showing their acceptance of their task of healing the broken brunette.
AN: Don't forget to Favorite, Follow and Review!
Regarding the things I wanted to stress out. Despite what it seemed like, Issei is still far from recovering from what happened to him but he is starting to make very slow progress as he comes to realize that he will not be able to recover alone but it will still take him some time to find and trust those who will be bale to help him but he is on his way towards that.